This is a Honda Pilot SUV, I saw it in a residential area in south Beijing. The Honda SUV was in good shape, painted in Nimbus Gray Metallic with tinted windows and fitted with the original five-spoke alloy wheels.
The area is quite central, within walking distance of the Temple of Heaven. The buildings date back to the 1970s. The apartments in this area used to be cheap and rather outdated, but with the enormous growth of Beijing over the last decades, this area is now part of central Beijing and the house prices have gone through the roof, even with the recent slump. There are many areas like this in south Beijing, and that means one can find cool cars there, like the Honda Pilot.
The second-generation Honda Pilot was manufactured from 2008 until 2015 in Lincoln, Alabama, USA. It was never officially sold in China, but some examples arrived via the gray market and other misty channels.
The dashboard layout is typically American, with the drive selector for the automatic gearbox located next to the center stack. It has a shipload of buttons and switches and an audio system with a CD changer. The air vents are huge and easy to control. Try that today!
The owner of this Pilot quite likes the car. The floor was protected by floor mats and all the seats had seat covers. The color combination works quite well, dark red mats with brown red seat covers.
The second-generation Honda Pilot (YF3/4) was an all-wheel drive vehicle. Power came from a 3.5 liter V6 engine with an output of 186 kW (250 hp) and 343 Nm. The motor was mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox.
One of the apartment buildings is mirrored in the rear window. The buildings of this age are usually up to 25 floors high. The Pilot is equipped with a tow hook. That was a super rare thing in China, until the recent ascent of tow-able lifestyle-focused electric SUVs.
Well, this Honda Pilot was a surprising find indeed. These are super rare in China and over the many years that I have been around I have only seen a few. But that was all so very long ago. I saw this one earlier this year, and amazingly, it is probably the best I have ever seen. That makes this Honda Pilot a true survivor. May it ride for long years more!